We pay tribute to the delicious marvel that is cheese, sauce and dough with a menu of 12 gourmet pies you absolutely must try. by Jennifer Bowen, Elaine Cicora, David Searls, Beth Stallings, Carly Toyzan and Jim Vickers; Edited by Beth Stallings

7. Pork Sausage

Lolita$12

Thin
is in at Michael “Iron Chef” Symon’s stylish Lolita, where the
pared-down pies are slim and spare as a Calvin Klein model. The “less
is more” approach begins with the ultrathin crust, made from a quartet
of thoughtfully chosen ingredients: cake yeast, water, salt and Caputo
flour, an Italian import that chef de cuisine Andy Strizak describes as
being “fine as powdered sugar.” It lends the dough the distinctive chew
that makes it a memorable stage for a host of simple toppings. Knowing
Symon’s penchant for all things porcine, we go for the sausage, a zippy
blend of fennel, cayenne, crushed red pepper, garlic and Ohio-raised
pork, pre-browned to mahogany magnificence before being scattered in
large crumbs across a sparingly applied substrate of fresh mozzarella,
garlic and oregano. There, it is joined by tender-crisp florets of
locally grown broccoli bursting with natural sweetness and a drizzle of
Greek Lefas-brand extra virgin olive oil, a full-flavored product that
Strizak calls “the best all-purpose olive oil you’ll ever find.”
Without the distraction of heavy sauces or high-test add-ons, the
resultant pie is both subtle and refined, each uncomplicated component
shining forth in its own wholesome fashion.

Making
a pizza is like constructing a building. It happens piece-by-piece
starting with a strong foundation; crucial, multiple layers; and a few
extras on top for style. That’s the philosophy of Eddie Cerino, owner
of Eddie’s Pizzeria Cerino. “Everything starts with the crust,” he
says. He learned the secrets of making good bread years ago while
helping his grandmother, legendary restaurateur Carrie Cerino, in the
kitchen. Making dough is a three-day process that begins with a
starter, or poolish. Flour, water and yeast sit for 24 hours; then
they’re mixed into dough and sit for another 24 hours. On the third
day, the dough is ready to be sheeted and used. “It’s the same process
beer goes through,” Cerino says. The result is a golden, crisp crust.
The Wild Mushroom pizza is taken from basic to gourmet thanks to
sauteed button, shiitake, cremini and oyster mushrooms blended with
white ricotta salata, a sort of Italian feta. It is finished with
roasted peppers because the “color and flavor blend well with
mushrooms.” As the signature menu item, the restaurant’s pizzas are
packing in the diners. “Some days we run out of dough.”

Once
you get past the initial weirdness — eggs? on a pizza? — there is
something so right about the concept; you’ll wonder why every kitchen
in the country isn’t cranking out Sunnyside pizzas, with their iconic
combination of eggs and “bacon” (in this case, imported Italian
pancetta). For starters, consider the Roman-style crust: wafer thin,
cracker crisp and dusted with cracked black pepper for eye-opening
appeal. Next comes a thick blanket of provolone (“We use a lot of
provolone,” confirms chef Mike Nowak). And finally, there is the trio
of free-range eggs, “the most important part” of the pie, which Nowak
breaks into three little nests of pancetta, where they bake at 650
degrees. The biggest challenge is getting the whites to set before the
crust gets too brown. “Plus, I want to make sure the yolks stay nice
and goopy,” says Nowak, who finishes each pizza with a pinch of fresh
parsley, Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil before
slicing through each egg. Done right, the broken yolks melt into golden
pools for a sort of DIY hollandaise. “Use bits of crust to soak it up,”
Nowak advises, and don’t let one drop go to waste.